Posts Tagged ‘phone numbers’

Yahoo recently confirmed it was the victim of a large-scale data breach, which left more than 500 million users vulnerable two years ago. Read on to learn more.

Just when you think you can breathe a sigh of relief, we’re told to suck that air back in and brace for the inevitable fallout of what is now being considered the largest confirmed data breach of a single company’s computer network to date. According to officials at Yahoo, hackers gained access to more than 500 million user accounts registered with the technology company two years ago. And because so many people use Yahoo for their email, finances, fantasy sports and so on, everybody is being urged to take action immediately – before the cybercriminals have a chance to exploit the stolen data.

Why Worry?

Depending on the type of information you have stored on your user account, there are all kinds of dangers associated with this type of data breach. Yahoo officials confirmed that hackers successfully gained access to user names, email addresses, telephone numbers, birth dates, encrypted passwords and, in some cases, security questions.

If you are one of those people who use the same password across all your online accounts, the recovery process will be difficult. Changing your Yahoo password is only the first step in the recovery process. Because cybercriminals can use the information collected to attempt to log in to other websites, you will also need to comb through your other online accounts to make sure they remain secure.

In the meantime, consider utilizing the following password best practices.

Use passphrases with at least 12 characters consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

Never share your passphrases with others and, if you enter your passphrase on a public computer, change it once you are able to log on to your account from a secure location.

Use two-step verifications whenever they are available.

Think Before You Click

In addition to maintaining your passwords by taking advantage of the best practices listed above, stay vigilant when it comes to email safety. In particular, consider every unsolicited email and communication you receive as untrustworthy. A single click of the mouse can open up the flood gates and can leave your company’s network vulnerable to a myriad of cyber threats.